The Hunger Games: Haymitch's Nightmares
by SilenceIsEssential
Summary: Haymitch tries to drink his nightmares in the arena away but even he knows that what happens during the Games can never be forgotten.  If you have ever wondered what happened in the arena to change him so much, watch him ascend to the Second Quarter Quell
1. Chapter 1: The Reaping

**I love The Hunger Games, but sadly I worry that I won't be able to represent my favorite character in the way I'd want to. Anyways I hope you guys enjoy this. Also, I may have changed some details for the sake of storytelling sorry.**

**I DON'T OWN THE HUNGER GAMES **

Chapter 1: The Reaping

"Haymitch…..Haymitch…wake up, we're going to be late"

I let out a groan and hate my little brother for always waking up earlier than me just to stop me from ever getting a good night's sleep, as if I didn't already have a mother for that.

I don't have to see to know that Cal is staring at me, probably holding a sweater and a pair of pants as usual. When I open my eyes, I am temporarily blinded by the bright sunlight and nearly fall off my bed, I hear Cal giggle at his fool of a brother.

I pull the blanket over my head and try to get at least five more minutes of sleep, but I am too late, as he grabs my pillow and yanks it from beneath my head. I painfully bang my sleep deprived head on the hard mattress and lay there, admitting defeat once again.

"I hate you" I say with a smile.

"I know" he says, smiling back.

I look at him before he leaves and I can't help but think that he's grown so much during the five years after our father died. He's only ten years old, and still he seems to be more mature than I ever could hope to be.

As I get out of bed I look at the photo our family took the day before the mine collapsed on our father and find myself wishing he were still here.

I shake my head and tell myself to concentrate. I pull on my usual pants and sweater and head to the kitchen, expecting my mother to throw a pot lid at me for waking up so late; I walk around looking for her until I see what's on the kitchen table. On the table are a large bowl of soup, a loaf of bread, and a slab of meat with vegetables and fruits. I stare at it, hoping someone would explain the sudden feast we were having this morning. I hear the front door open and I quickly turn to see my mother walk in with a large pile of laundry.

"Woken up, haven't you?" She says, not even looking at me.

"What's with the feast? You know we can't afford something like this!" I exclaim.

She turns to me and gives me a stern look as she walks towards me. Half expecting a blow to the back of the head I wince in anticipation. But she lowers her laundry down and gives me a hug.

I stand there awkwardly, my hands still over my head, trying to make sense of the whole situation. Then I realize what day it is. It's the Reaping.

We stand there for a few more minutes and I feel her tears on my cheek, making the situation more uncomfortable than it already was. I pull away from her and I look into her teary eye and say

"Don't worry mom, I've survived this long haven't I? Today will be just like any other day except this time I'll be able to work with a full stomach this time." I try to sound casual, hoping my mother will relax as well.

I am glad to see that my mother laughs and I laugh while she wipes a tear from her eye. Instantly the tension is shattered and she's smiling again.

"Of course, I'm being silly" She says, turning her attention towards the laundry again.

I've been submitting my name for a total of three years for the past Reapings, but never have I had to face the dread and hopelessness of being chosen as a tribute to the Hunger Games. Many tributes go to the Capital to participate in the Games, but only one from our district, District 12, was lucky enough to return.

As I try to remember all the past tributes for District 12, and all of their painful deaths, Cay walks into the kitchen to join me and my mother to breakfast. Just as we are about to eat however, my mother notices the small hole on the back of my sweater I tried so hard to conceal from her the other night, and goes on a rampage. I stuff a piece of bread in my mouth, while my mother continues to rant on about the high price of thread these days and about how many times she's told me to take care of my clothes, while she tries to find something heavy to throw at me.

I pull on my jacket while my mother starts throwing pots and pans at me. I run out the door before anything hits me and I hear her shout out while my brother laughs

"GET BACK HERE HAYMITCH!" She shrieks

I continue to run until I no longer can hear her scream at me to come back. I let out a laugh until I feel exhausted and take a look around the Seam to see how early it was.

The sun had barely come up and there was still hours until the Reaping occurs. So I decide that I might as well visit Faye.

Faye, the girl that makes me smile, the girl I had known since I was young and the girl I loved. I loved her and she loved me, and the whole Seam knew that. Her mother passed away when we were young and her father was a merchant, so she didn't live in the Seam.

We always had a tree where we would meet not so far from the Seam and the Merchant area. It wasn't so hard to miss because it was the largest tree there. We had promised to see each other today, so I started heading there, hoping she was there.

When I arrived, however, I saw that she wasn't. So I decided to catch up on the lost hours of sleep I would have had under the shade of the tree. The warm breeze and the sunlight was enough to make me sleepy, so I sat myself under the tree and closed my eyes, wondering why everyone was so worried about the Reaping.

But once again, I am denied a few hours sleep when a pair of hands covers both my eyes. The owner of these hands giggles and whispers

"I love you"

I grab both of her hands and turn to see Faye's beautiful green eyes staring into mine. We smile at each other and our lips meet. I feel the warmth of her lips pass through my body. I feel an unexplainable happiness as we kiss and let the moment last.

When our lips finally part, I let her lay her head on my shoulder as I stroke her long blonde hair. She looks at me and we stay silent, listening to the wind pass and the leaves above us rustle. We stay like this for a while, letting nature's path continue while we watch, until she sits up and looks me in the eye

"Not one trace" she whispers

"Not one trace of what?" I ask

"Not one trace of worry or anxiety most of us bear on our shoulders, not one trace of fear towards the Capital or the Games, not one trace of concern that you might be one of the four tributes, forced to kill during the Quarter Quell. It's like staring into two grey pits of oblivion. "She answers, continuing to stare at my eyes.

I smile and repeat what I just said to my mother, the impossible chances, the 3 years of luck, and the uselessness of anxiety. I stroke her hair once more and say that there is not chance that either of us will get chosen this year. But she shakes her head.

"You don't know that, what if you get picked, what if..."

I stop her midsentence and gently smile

"If I get picked, I'll bring you the whole Capital as a souvenir." I say sarcastically. She laughs and rests her head down on my chest again. This seems to calm her down a bit, but hints of fear and concern are still in her voice.

We hear the sound of people gathering in the square a few moments later and guess that it must be time to Reap

As we walk into the square, we see people hugging their children and embracing each other with teary hope of reunion. I can't help but feel the concern I've been mocking and turn to say that I love her, in case it might be the last time I could, but I see that her attention is elsewhere.

We kiss and say our farewells. I hear her start to mention that she will pray for the both of us, but I leave her, not wanting to feed her anxiety. I find my family; my brother smiling while my mother continues to mention how I should have wore something more elegant. But I ignore her as she continues to pick at the hole on my sweater with a scowl.

On the stage, I see the mayor of our district, Mr. Prinwood, start the ceremony. He continues to drone on and on about the rebellion and how the Capitol is supreme to all, but no one really listens. They're more concerned for their children or siblings, hoping that they will see each other again. When he finally introduces Districts 12's escort, Fillis Vannigan, a middle aged women with crazy hair and extremely long finger nails, everyone scowls. Everyone in District 12 hated Fillis. Each year she has to escort the tributes, but she feels that it is her duty to fulfill the minimum amount of her responsibilities. That's probably one of the reasons our tributes barely survived the first three days.

She watches over the crowd, not bothering to look the least bit interested, probably because District 12 rarely produces capable tribute. She waves her hand towards the crowd but hardly anybody applauds. As she comes up and starts giving a speech, I start imitating her speech in her pompous, Capital accent for the amusement of my brother. He looks and laughs with me.

But my mother looks at us and smacks both of us on the head.

"Do you even understand the seriousness of the situation?" She whispers angrily.

"What's to take serious? All we need to worry about is being chosen as tributes, stuffed into suits and being shown on live TV at the Capital, and fighting forty seven people for my life. What's not funny about it?" I loudly proclaim, making everyone around us glare at me, including my mother. My brother stifles a giggle when my mother scowls at me too and nearly smacks me on the head again, when a commotion on the front stage grabs everyone's attention.

It turns out Fillis's speech was interrupted when our only victor had made it to the Reaping, holding a bottle of strong white liquor and struggling to go up the stairs without falling down. The mayor rushed to help her up and snatched the microphone from Fillis's hands to introduce her to the thousands of people watching this on television. It was easy to see that Fillis disliked being in the presence of Dahilla, but for show she put her hand on Dahilla's shoulder and tried to make casual talk. When Dahilla seemed to gain some sort of focus, completely ignoring everything Fillis was saying, she looks at Fillis for a moment and drops the bottle of alcohol immediately, trying to throttle Fillis.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" She yelled.

It took half a dozen Peacekeepers to subdue the women but they managed to pin her down to a chair. Poor old Rahilla Dophias, she goes crazy when she's drunk but cannot live without alcohol, to the point of being hopelessly addicted. Now she's about 52 years old, but she was able to win the 16th Hunger Games on her own, making her the only hope for the tributes of the Quarter Quell.

After Rahilla settles down, Fillis announces that it is now time to Reap. While she is rubbing her throat I see that there are red marks on her neck and I feel proud Rahilla is our district's victor.

"Ladies first!" She shouts out.

Despite my previous grandeur, I can't help but feel worried that Faye may be picked by a fluke of chance, and I start wishing to myself that she doesn't get picked.

The first name is picked and I find myself feeling half relieved that it isn't someone I know personally. Then I feel disgusted at myself for thinking such a thing. I hear a cry of despair as the family I have seen various times in the Seam try to grip onto the girl while the Peacekeepers drag her out.

Fillis doesn't even bother looking up from her nails, while the family weeps in despair because they know they will never see her alive again. I can't help but feel sorry. As I continue to watch the girl try to escape the grip of the Peacekeepers without success, Fillis announces another girl's name and makes me jump.

"Maysilee Donner."

This time I groan because Maysilee was a friend of Faye, and attended the same school as her. I see Maysilee being embraced by her sister and another girl I don't know and weep. But this time Maysilee voluntarily walks up to the stage unlike the other girl. I look for Faye in the crowd and I see her silently crying for her friend.

When the cameras close in on the girls faces, I was surprised to see how determined Maysilee seemed. You could see in her eyes that she wouldn't go out without a fight. I find that somewhat disturbing in a way I cannot yet make out, just the fact that she hasn't given up is enough to make me unnerved.

I try to find a way to get Faye's attention and comfort her in some way, but I know it's too late for that.

Fillis yawns, obviously bored out of her skull, and goes directly to the boys bowl. It only takes one swipe to take out the first name. This time it is a younger boy, about 15 or 14 years old. His father and mother embrace him once and let him go; silently watching him and accepting the cruel fate their son would endure

As he sits down next to the other tributes, I let out a sigh of relief, being perfectly sure that I won't get picked and happy that, Faye is saved from the terrible role of being a tribute this year.

I give a smile to my mother and brother and open my mouth to say that I told them so, and that there is no need to worry. But Fillis scoops up the last name and announces it loudly before I'm able to say anything

"Haymitch Abernathy"

**Please leave reviews, I will never get better at this without criticism, and really I want to put my soul into this story, so leaving a review might help me. **


	2. Chapter 2: The Survivor

**I just love the Hunger games. Do I need to say more? Maybe, leave a review or two and help a guy out. Also I might be a little slow on the uploads, tests and all but please patient. I'll promise the payback will be awesome.**

**Also, I have absolutely no problem with the casting choice of the Hunger Game movie. Especially with Josh being Peeta. I never imagined Peeta to be really handsome, just friendly looking. **

**(I have to admit that I almost thought that Hunter would get the part but still…. **

**Can't wait for the movie!)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games though I wish I did**

Chapter 2: The Survivor

"Haymitch Abernathy." She repeats, confirming that none of us had heard wrong.

As I stand there in disbelief, my brother holds the same expression of astonishment as it slowly dawns on my mother what just happened.

The people around us look at us uneasily, giving silent salute as they pass. They slowly make a circle around me, as if they would be forced to volunteer if too close.

My first instinct is to run. Run far away from here, from District 12, from the shadow of the Capitol. But I know that will never happen. Everyone knows that there is no escape from this nightmare. I look at the stage to see the crowd in the front parting, making room for the Peacekeepers that are coming to get me.

"NO!" I hear my mother scream from behind me. I turn and see that my brother is trying to restrain her, as she tries to break his grip to run towards me.

I try to find any sign of the Peacekeepers around me but see that the Peacekeepers are having a hard time locating me, because I am so deep into the crowd.

Wanting to do anything that would be some sort of comfort to my mother, I smile.

"I guess it's my lucky day." I say, and I run into the crowd, trying to find Faye.

One of the Peacekeepers spots me and alerts the others. I hear the Peacekeepers yelling for me to stop but I keep running. I run towards the stage, where I last saw her and immediately see her long beautiful blonde hair turning frantically, no doubt looking for me.

I quickly run to the very front where she is with her family

She hears me coming and turns around to kiss me. Knowing that this would probably be my last kiss with her I try to make it last as long as possible.

I hope to myself that she will live a long and better life after I'm gone, worrying how broken she will be when she sees me die. As I'm about to say how much I love her and that I wish she will be happy even without me, I feel a strong grip on both of my wrists.

I look up to see two very annoyed and out-of-breath faces staring down at me with loathing.

I can't help but smile.

"Caught up have you?" I say. I'm pulled off of my feet and dragged to the top of the stage.

"Haymitch…." I hear Faye scream, but I can't hear what she says over the sound of the crowd and the gravel crumbling beneath me. I'm more distracted with not getting the skin on my back scrapped off by the jagged ends of the rocks on the ground.

I am roughly dragged up the stairs and thrown upon the stage, landing on my back. I wince in pain, sure that there will be scratches and bruises later.

The two Peacekeepers glare at me one last time as they walk back to the places where they were stationed and I rise to see the thousands of people of District 12 staring at me.

The Mayor tries to continue the closing ceremony, but the ruckus has obviously made him nervous, wiping the sweat off of his bald head with the same laced handkerchief as always.

As I walk to join the other tributes, I can see the people in the crowd staring at me with pity, or even relief and I feel angry and disgusted that I too was once happy that I never had to face indefinite death. But my rage is not directed towards the people staring at me right now, but to the people who are watching me on the cameras, the people who will be steering me and the others to their demise.

I am the one who is picked to represent District 12, who bears the role of a tribute in these hellish Games, and I am forced to remain silent as the people of Panem watch me die on live television.

I continue to squirm around in my seat, trying to find a way to satisfy my desire to send a message to those anxiously waiting for us to fight to the death, to show that I refuse to give up.

But then I get the perfect idea.

"Now that we have our four tributes, let us hope that these poor children die with honor keeping hope that their future generation may learn upon the mistakes of the last." Fillis says, starting the closing speech she must have prepared on the ride here. I slowly walk up toward her, ignoring the erupting whispers of the crowd and the concentrated attentions of the cameras.

As she continues her very long, very boring speech, I reach out and tap her on the shoulder.

She jumps and her lighting blue wig almost falls of her head, abruptly ending her speech. She turns and looks at me with amazement, and I see out of the corners of my eyes that Mr. Prinwood's large beard is quavering with disbelief, his hands no doubt looking for his handkerchief.

I politely point at the microphone and ask

"May I?"

This makes eyeryone freeze with shock. No other tribute, in the history of tributes has interrupted the closing ceremony nor has any tried.

But I am 99.9 percent sure that there is no rule against this. I see that apparently Fillis doesn't know either as she continues to look at me, seriously considering on whether or not to hand me the mike. I can almost see the confusion in her eyes grow and I wait for her to reach a decision. When she finally moves aside and hands me the mike, she rushes off to her seat and crosses her legs, keeping her sharp eyes on me.

I clear my throat and start weighing the mike in my hand, as it is the first time I have ever used a mike before. I try to think of the exact words I want to say, as I toy around with it. Fillis starts tapping her feet impatiently, and the mayor has his handkerchief at the ready.

When I finally put the mike towards my mouth, everyone in the crowd is whispering to each other, sounding very much alike a hundred buzzing bees, waiting hungrily for me to say something.

"I salute you District 12, for providing me with the strength I will bring into the arena. I am honored to represent District 12, and I hope to repay that debt by returning here." I say

The crowd starts whispering louder, while I turn and head towards the Tribute seats. I see the other tributes stare at me, but I take no interest. I continue to hear the words of the crowd grow louder and louder as the full impact of my speech starts to sink in.

"Return? Has that boy gone mad?"

"Bless him, he thinks he can win. Foolish boy."

"A victor in District 12, now that's a miracle"

I embrace the curses and cries of pity the crowd throws at me, and stare into the cameras, hoping the Capitol will see this.

The mayor and Fillis try to regain control on the crowd with no avail. During the confusion Rahilla stumbles her way to me and puts her arm around my shoulder, stinking of alcohol.

"That's the spirit boy, never give up. I think I like you because…" She starts, but stops mid-speech to throw up all over the floor. The girl tributes scream in disgust and try to get as far away as possible, as the vomit splatters everywhere.

Complete chaos ensues as the crowd continues to grow restless and Rahilla continues to vomit, her arms flailing trying to find something for support, as we maintain a safe distance from her.

Knowing that there would be no chance of regaining control soon, Fillis signals the Peacekeepers to guide us to the Justice Building. They rush over and quickly grab our elbows, almost pulling us off the stage.

Fillis glares at me as I pass, balancing her wig on her head again, I maintain eye contact and smile knowingly, making her angrier.

We're guided towards the Justice Building in awkward silence, as the crowd behind us grows even louder. I keep trying to think of what to say to my family and Faye before I'm shoved into the train and dragged to the Capital, like cattle being prepped for slaughter. But I can't think of anything to say.

For some means of entertainment, I look to my right to see the same Peacekeeper that shoved me onto the stage, and I make an attempt at starting a conversation.

"Hi, remember me?" I ask casually. But he ignores me and continues to walk in a steady pace. The other tributes start exchanging looks and stare at us. I feel annoyed that the Peacekeeper ignored me; he could have just punched me and I would have felt better.

I decide to push it, letting the pressure of knowing that I might die in a few days get the better of me.

"Pretty short for a Peacekeeper, didn't get enough to eat as a kid huh?" I am barely able to finish the sentence when the Peacekeeper grabs the front of my sweater and slams me onto the building next to him.

He is stronger than he looks, as my feet are suspended a few inches in the air. His face is slowly turning red and I can see the vein in his temple pulsating angrily. He opens his mouth and he starts to growl at me, spraying my face with spittle each time he opens his mouth.

"Look you filthy animal, I don't care if you're a tribute or not. I'll whip the bare flesh off of you if you talk to me like that one more time." He spits out, his face turning a deep shade of purple.

While the other Peacekeepers stand to watch, probably expecting a show, I am surprisingly not intimidated by this scathing threat; instead I feel the need to further worsen the situation.

"What's stopping you then?" I reply happily and laugh in his face.

He raises his fist to hit me and I close my eyes anticipating impact, but I hear someone shouting

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" The voice shrieks out

Everybody turns to see that Fillis has caught up with us, and to my gratification, Fillis looks like she would skin the Peacekeepers alive.

"I SAID WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" She shouts again.

The Peacekeeper holding me is surprised and starts to stammer. He lowers his fist, but his grip on me is still as firm as stone.

"I...I...This boy here disrespected me, which is severely punished in District 12." He says, trying to regain his confidence.

"YOU IDIOTS!" She shrieks, "I DON'T CARE IF HE CALLED YOU A BAFFOON OR SPAT IN YOUR FACE! FROM THE MOMENT HE IS CHOSEN AS A TRIBUTE, HE IS THE PROPERTY OF THE CAPITOL, NOT YOUR PERSONAL PUNCHING BAG YOU BRAINLESS APE!" Her wig falls off again, showing her surprisingly normal brown hair, but she doesn't seem to notice.

The other Peacekeepers look absolutely dumbfounded. The sight is just beautiful.

"WHO IS YOUR COMMANDING OFFICER?" She demands. Behind her we see, the mayor and Rahilla catch up, Rahilla somehow getting her hands on another bottle of liquor, stumbles along the road singing an incomprehensible song, while the mayor struggles to support her.

"Commander Simms Ma'am." He mutters again, slowly letting the grip on me loosen.

As I slide to the ground, Fillis rushes towards me and grabs my chin, inspecting my face for any visual injuries. I can't help but want to kiss her for coming at the perfect timing, but I manage to restrain myself when she looks at the Peacekeepers and shouts

"If he has a scratch on him, when we get to the Capitol, I will make sure that you are dismissed from your positions, and hung by the ankles at the town's square!"

I manage to stifle a laugh and see that Maysilee is barely keeping a straight face as well. Fillis narrows her eyes, shifting her gaze from one to the other. She looks like a large hawk carefully watching her prey, daring them to move.

After a while, she takes out watch and starts yelling again, making the Peacekeepers wince.

"Leave us! I will lead them to the Justice Building myself!" She says, dismissing the Peacekeepers. The Peacekeepers make an awkward solute, and walk away, probably muttering unspeakable words at me.

Behind us I hear Rahilla say "That was fun."

All of us turn to see that she has put Fillis's blue wig over her grey hair. Mr. Prinwood looks down in embarrassment as Fillis grabs her wig and adjusts it over her head. She mutters words and curses to no one in particular as she puts her watch back into her pocket.

"Thanks." I manage to say to her before we start walking again. She curtly nods and leads the way to the Justice Building.

I start thinking that I may have probably misjudged Fillis, but remember who she represents and quickly dismiss that thought. No matter how decent she seems, she is a servant of the Capital, no decency can cover that.

As we continue to walk in silence I see that Maysilee is catching glimpses of me. I turn to look at her, and she jumps. She starts talking with the other girl tribute as if they were friends from the beginning. When I continue to stare at her I see that her cheeks have turned slightly pink.

I observe her and immediately notice that there are great resemblances between her and Faye. They both share blonde hair, and have bright green eyes. I think that maybe, in the merchant area people share traits between each other, like the people of Seam share black hair, and grey eyes.

I shrug at this thought and turn to look at the other tributes to see whether or not they would be a threat to me. I can easily tell that neither of them is physically fit or healthy in general. In fact, among the four tributes I am probably the most formidable looking.

The boy is scrawny and looks as if he had never had a decent meal in his life. His hollow face and short black hair makes him look like a rat. For some reason he nervously looks from side to side, eyes wide with fear.

The other girl has the same hunger riddled face, but the desperation in her is more visible. Her black hair hangs down unattended, her eyes still red from crying, giving her a deranged look. Her arms are so thin that I can see where the bones connect. She looks like she'd have trouble picking up a spoon, no less a weapon.

As we continue to walk, the Justice Building continues to grow larger and larger. The grey exteriors and the windowless walls makes the building seem more like a prison and the statues at the top stare down at us, with grotesque faces. The Justice Building is tall enough to be seen anywhere within District 12 but only up close is the disturbing details unhinging. I see that I am not the only one to notice this. Maysilee's eyes grow wide with fear and the boy is trembling, unable to look up to the staring statues.

Fillis doesn't seem to be effected and signals the guards at the front door. The guards immediately pull the door open, showing nothing but darkness beyond the doors.

"Hurry up then." Fillis says impatiently

Before I am shoved in, I look up to embrace the horrible imagery that stands before me, dreading the fact that I might never see this monstrosity again.

**Remember two weeks. ARGHHHHHHHHHH MIDTERMS ARE KILLING ME!**


End file.
